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There is still “a strong attachment to beefeaters and red phone boxes” abroad, though 80 per cent of UK design consultancies export their services, he told delegates at the Design Focus seminar held at the Royal College of Art in London last week.

According to Wilson, design is worth £12bn to the UK economy. The UK is the “top exporter” of design worldwide, mainly to clients in the US and Europe.

Delegates to the seminar comprised civil servants from the foreign desks at the Department of Trade and Industry and other Government departments, plus representatives from the British Council and the design industry.